SNL Obama Video Gets It Wrong--He Has Accomplished Too Much
By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
If you missed the opening skit of "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, here is their spoof of President Obama addressing the "hateful rhetoric" in politics today. Watch the video:
Like all good humor, this skit contains a kernel of truth. The president's checklist of things he hasn't accomplished includes closing Guantanamo Bay, getting troops out of Iraq, improving Afghanistan and enacting healthcare reform. He knows the left would like him to do something about things like global warming, gays in the military, and torture prosecutions.
But so far, Obama says in the skit, he's accomplished two things: #1. Jack and #2. Squat.
SNL's list of the president's non-accomplishments is a pretty comprehensive. Many of them are bad ideas stopped by Congressional Republicans—to their credit, they asked questions about where the terrorists at Guantanamo will be placed, emphasized the good reasons not to criminalize policy decisions at the CIA, and pointed out the regional instability that could accompany an immediate pullout in Iraq. And they've managed to slow down the rush to healthcare reform that increases the deficit even more.
Of course those of us on the right beg to differ with SNL's list of his two accomplishments. The comedy writers forgot that President Obama enacted at least two very big pieces of legislation: 1. the nearly one trillion-dollar stimulus package and 2. the massive federal budget that extends the deficit to our grandchildren. But aside from that, I guess the SNL writers have a point—he hasn't accomplished everything he promised when he first talked about "change you can believe in."
And, like all good humor, this skit also makes a point. To me, the point is that the New York-Hollywood types are getting frustrated with Obama, and there is growing disillusionment on the left. Maybe the right will tone down the rhetoric when they hear the left complain that the president really hasn't been able to accomplish all that he promised.
At least he hasn't yet.
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Tags: television | Barack Obama
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Reader Comments
media
the only objective Media we have is SNL!!!
Oration is his best asset
He has a way of wooing people into his weightless speeches. As with most all other politicians on either side of the fence, rhetoric is a great way to influence votes. Then there are those who are too embarrassed to say they voted for the person who try to justify their weak decision in the voting booth.
The truth, speech is cheap. What you say you are going to do carries a lot of weight with voters. They like empty promises. Remember, Georgia H.W. Bush - "read my lips, no new taxes." Nothing is different with Obama.
People vote for what he said he would do -- not for his political strength, his non-existent track record, or his miniscual experience in Washington. The shallow voters wanted a "saviour" and Obama tugged on their heart strings. You can't slight him for that, it won the election for him. You can accuse him of misleading the voters to "believe" in him, that he was actually capable of demanding and getting things done. He ain't no dictator.
His rocky road ahead will be a tough one. I'm afraid he's thrown many of the rocks into his own path.
shameful
It is funny that since obama has been president everyone's a critic. where were these critics when bush was in office? where were the denials and fights and protests when he was running this country into the ground? where were your opinions when all these billions of dollars were being handed out to the banks and not being properly accounted for? where were you then? when we almost had another great depression pressing at our heels where were you? So let me guess because he trying to change policies and implement something different he wrong and doesn't know what he is doing. So a better choice would have been to let sarah palin or someone of her calibur run this country right? with her experience? Suuurrreee, she can't even finish a term, G_D forbid Obama did that he would have been rung through the ringer. All you critics give a Break, all this fighting between the demos and repos are not in our best interest. if everyone would stop fighting for their party and fight for us the people maybe we would see that change that myself and the i know the majority of the country is longing for.
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